


I will show you the stars

by Achini



Category: British Actor RPF
Genre: Architects, Eventual Romance, F/M, Female Character of Color, Romance, Slice of Life, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-14 22:12:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19282213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Achini/pseuds/Achini
Summary: Her continuous bad experiences in the dating department had convinced Anayah that love really was not for her.But then Tom, with all his charm and grace, walks into her life in the most unsuspecting moment and changes her life forever.





	1. Chapter 1

It all started with a coffee. Perhaps, her mandatory caffeine fix did begin after Anayah moved into London just a couple of months ago, yet it’s become almost too tempting that it had become a routine, her early morning visit to the closest coffeeshop. Anayah was not doing an easy job; all that colours and coordination, the subtlest details that could easily miss her sharp eyes. She hated to admit that it was her coffee in the morning that helped her to focus during the day. She’d thought she had a better concentration than that. But as it happens, she was afraid that might even be the case.

On the other hand, Anayah knew it, all from the beginning that she shouldn’t have taken her friends’ offer to go out drinking on a Sunday. Sunday was the worst day for a drink. It was on the edge of working hours; it was a day for a rest and brooding. She could have figured out better ways of brooding rather than joining Sarah and Damien for karaoke, but yet, against her better judgement, she had done exactly that. Come Monday morning, Anayah was hungover and exhausted. She was probably too late for work too. Her eyes had quite literally shrunk into her skull, and her tights did not match her skirt. To top it all off, there was a line way too long for coffee, and Sarah had still not ended her own version of brooding (Perhaps a continuation from last night) about her recent disaster date which ended with a phone call.

“I mean, there could have been better ways” She was telling them, the tone of her voice high pitched and desperate, too sharp for Anayah’s liking. It shouldn’t be taken wrong. Anayah did love her best friends, immensely so. But admittedly it could get a little too much to be discussing disaster dates so early on a Monday morning. “He...he was on the phone from the moment we started” Sarah continued. She was on the front of the line, only because Anayah wasn’t conscious enough to care. And the line seemed to move only once for every ten minutes. “It kept pinging, on and on like a bloody fire alarm! And at the end he just excused and picked it up and went off...not even a bloody goodbye” A deep sigh of disappointment. “At least he could have told me...I waited for thirty minutes!”

Damien, his eyebrows raising, slightly pushed Sarah forth in the line “I thought it was over a phone call...as in, you guys never actually went”

“We did!” Sarah snapped, her voice raising, making a few heads turn. “I guess it was just not worded right...” A sigh followed again. It could have been her, but Anayah felt like the most that her best friend had been doing for the past twenty four hours was just sighing, as if all hopes were gone. She was a beautiful one, Sarah was. With her glimmering golden hair and those crinkly blue eyes, Anayah thought she could literally attract men like magnet. She was the sort that appealed to them men; beautiful, charming, always the best dressed and unquestionably lovely. She had this girlish charm which, although Anayah couldn’t stand sometimes, seemed to work like magic on them. She had to admit, Sarah had a better and a steady game in dating than Anayah herself had ever had. The last time that she remembered to have had an actual solid relationship was back in college. It’s been ages since she’d graduated, and that life just felt so far away. She just wasn’t one of them, a girl who actually appealed to men. Anayah was all mismatched clothes and messy buns, warm cappuccino and reading on bed in the rain. And there’s been enough times that it had been proved to her; dating just wasn’t in the books for her.

“Come on, Sarah. That’s just one of the many” Anayah pointed out to her, recalling her own dating history herself. She hated to compare; it was not a competition. Yet frankly, as it happened, Sarah’s was not the worst date that had happened in the history of dating, ever. “I mean, it isn’t even that bad, given there’s been worse” It felt a little like a stab, remembering that ‘One’ time.

“Oh god” It was Damien who remembered It himself. They never talked about it, at least not in great detail. If anything, Anayah’s dating history was more or less a taboo topic among them. As Damien quietly recalled the incident, he had this amused look across his face, which really did not make things better for Anayah’s still sour wound. “Sarah, yours still wouldn’t beat that _one_ time”

“Tell me about it” Anayah pitched in. There was no point in scorning over it now. It’s been long, although the hatred was still fresh in her heart. The reason why she hadn’t really moved on from it was definitely not the pain it could have caused. (Anayah wasn’t the type to be emotionally traumatised by most of men’s poor decisions) it was more of a deep-rooted hatred and anger that she couldn’t seem to shake off, which eventually led her to put off dating for once and for all.

“Well, to be honest” Sarah started, and the spluttered. She couldn’t help herself. “You know what? That made me feel much better. I feel like I could actually forgive the phone guy”

“Sarah” Anayah sighed as they moved forward in the line. They were just about three people behind the cashier; before them was a man in a navy suit, perhaps a good twelve inches taller than Anayah herself, and a girl with an impossibly perfect blond chignon on her head. “You see, bad dates happen. And they happen only because you date...”

“So, your logic is not getting laid at all” Damien narrowed his eyes.

“Works for me” Anayah was not going to admit the inert loneliness that she had often felt in the solidarity of her apartment. But that was true for her. After that one experience, she’d steered cleared of it. Dating game was never for her.

“You’re telling that only because of that one guy” Sarah rolled her eyes. “What was his name again? John? Jonathan? Joseph?”

“I don’t remember...” Anayah pursed her lips. She wasn’t playing. She literally couldn’t remember, as if his name was a nasty scab that she’d ripped off her skin once and for all. “Geez, I really can’t remember”

“It started with a J” Sarah said.

“Give me all the names starting with J”

“Jeremy? Josh? Jedi?”

“Jedi does not sound like a name”

“It does, its that guy from Star wars”

“No” Sarah narrowed her eyes. “It was Jed. Was it Jed?” She turned to look at her friend.

“Wait” Anayah stopped her them, holding up a hand. “I think that was a- Ja-Je!”

“Jeffrey!”

As it happened, it was both Sarah and her who recalled the name all at once, and they both yelled it out in unison, the name, a little too louder than they should.

“That old man Jeff, the bastard” Damien muttered under his breath. He hated Jeff no more than Anayah hated him herself. Jeff was a disaster, all from the very beginning. When he’d walked into her life with his long hair and uncomfortably smouldering gaze, Anayah had known he was going to be trouble. She just hadn’t thought it through.

“Excuse me, but did you just call my name?” A voice, unfamiliar. Anayah looked up only to see that the man in the Navy suit before her in the line had turned to face them. Quite very tall, he was, and the bluest ever eyes.

“Oh, um” They had said it _out loud_. “No! no, no” Anayah tried winning a laughter, and both Sarah and Damien joined in with her. “We were just...talking...names” Sarah stuttered, and swallowed.

“Sorry um, Jeff...? We didn’t mean to-,” Damien, a nervous laughter following his words.

“Ah we were just discussing disaster dates...” Anayah admitted without a shame. This Jeff, unlike the other Jeff, definitely had a genuinely daring smile. He chuckled, as if the vagueness of the whole exchange made actual sense to him, and gazed down at her, them eyes of his sparkling blue in a sort of amenable mischief. “Oh, right yes...Disaster dates...” He said, and they fell silent. Anayah didn’t even realise that her eyes had locked on him. He was quite beautiful, she later realised, when he smiled.

“They happen, disaster dates”

“Well, sorry about that.... _You,_ Jeff, yes, aren’t...I mean, you aren’t terrible like that... _other_ Jeff” Anayah cleared her throat and looked away, feeling Sarah’s fingers sinking into her skin. “If any of that made sense to you”

Frankly, Anayah just realised that she was perhaps making a fool out of herself in front a complete stranger who only meant to indulge her in a humorous exchange. They’ve called his name out in a crowd, called him a bastard. It was only right that they had this conversation...only that it was quite...strange.

“Yeah, no. I do...understand, and its fine” The other Jeff replied. There was a witty, knowing look in his eyes. A moment of silence, yet again, as both Sarah and Damien just stood there, awkwardly laughing and saying things that didn’t make sense. The line moved forward one step. So did the stranger. The three of them thought the conversation had ended. Sarah just squealed under her breath. But then again, the other Jeff turned back to them.

“Well on the other hand, I’m sorry if this is too sudden but...” He cleared his throat, and Anayah blinked as his blue eyes fell deep into hers. “I was wondering if...if I could indulge you with a nice cup of coffee...later?”

It took everything from Anayah to not squeal the same way Sarah seemed to have, just the very moment. The other Jeff was smiling, a smile so brilliant and compelling; completely different from the Jeff she had known. He just seemed appealing, harmless. Gentle and polite. An innocent proposal. Anayah opened her mouth, unsure of how she must respond. But before she could word out her thoughts, Jeff held out a hand, the other going to his coat and lifting his employee tag on a green code.

“And, please do forgive me. It’s Tom” He held the tag before them as a nervous chuckle followed. “Tom Hiddleston. And I can assure you, it is _not_ going to be a disaster date”

*


	2. Chapter 2

When Anayah first moved into England, she had not, by any means, thought out the possibility of getting involved with men. If anything, dating, love and romance had never really been in her best interests.  She was born and raised in a conservative environment where gender roles were specified and all that women were capable of doing was marry the man her family had decided for her, only to submerge herself in all the family responsibilities that followed. Anayah was just one of the few women who succeeded in breaking through the social norms and rise above them, find her own self and follow what she loved. Luckily for her, her father understood her dreams; she was a trier, he’d said. And never failed to admire her aspiration to just move forward and achieve the best. She wasn’t like any other woman, he’d said. And winning a Scholarship and moving to Manchester, England had been nothing but a pride for her parents. All that she’d wanted to achieve here, since then, was anything and everything that spoke volume of her will. Succeed, achieve, make her parents proud. Dating, she had to say, was nowhere in the list of things to do in her new life.

Years had passed since then and she had pretty much gotten used to her life. England was a far cry from where she was from, but it was manageable. She had fallen into her own routine and she quite liked it here. Life had changed drastically for her. She no longer dressed the same, talked the same, behaved the same. Earlier, alcohol would have been one of the many things she wouldn’t have even imagined to approach. But as life moved forward, she had indulged different pleasures and learned that life didn’t only have to be about achievement. She had settled in here now. This was her new life. And so, she’d allowed for life to take its own course. She had dated, kissed and loved. Gotten drunk until she’d fall, lost her virginity to the first man she thought she loved. Things hadn’t been the same since. And disaster dates, unreliable boyfriends became all too frequent than she desired, all until she realised that love wasn’t really a thing for her. Work, coffee and booze were the only things she could trust herself with, nothing more.

Anayah worked as an interior designer. It hadn’t been exactly what she aspired to be as a child; but the fascination grew along experience in life until she realised it could actually be the career she desired. She, Damien and Sarah worked for quite a classy and high-end firm somewhere in Kensington, one that specialised designing for expensive hotels and apartments, one that had a few exclusive projects and raised to the top. She earned well, only because she worked hard for it. It wasn’t an easy job; too many demands, to many things to consider. But she liked it, and it paid her bills.

The morning was hectic. For hours, she was stuck in a meeting with a couple who built and sold loft styled apartments and wished to hire their firm for the interior. Frankly, for Anayah, loft styled apartments just sounded quite over the top. Could be beautifully designed. But the couple’s idea of pastel colours and vintage designs just didn’t seem to fall in line. And she needed another coffee.

“...There would be fish tanks acting as partitions, separating each area...the bedrooms and the bathrooms especially” The man looked at the wife and smiled. “We do believe that the tanks add a nice touch...and it appears eco-friendly”

For Anayah, however, Koi fish encased in glass on 3 floored loft apartments did not sound very eco-friendly. She sighed and just stared down at her watch.

“That does sound...quite nice, but fish tanks? Is it possible?” Ben, Anayah’s Boss as well as the head designer questioned doubtfully. He had years of experience, especially in the area of interior designs in apartments. Anayah could see the amused glint in his eyes. Once the couple had gone on their way, he’d call their ideas bullocks and change everything from the scratch.

“Well, our architect believe so” Said the woman, an air of pride in her tone. “In fact, he was supposed to be in the meeting with us...” She glanced at her husband who, in turn, looked down at his watch. “I believe he’s just running late. He’d be here any moment now”

Anayah had drawn an entire fish tank on her scrap-pad through the conversation, barely having shared her two pence on the project. For one, it felt like the whole thing was about to fall through. And if the architect did agree on the fish tanks, he had to be absolute bullocks.

On the other hand, it was pointless to design the interior without having the architect himself present in the discussion. How was it possible to decide what went where and what did not? The man and the woman would insist on making the staircase with fish tanks would the architect get any more later than this. Unless the architect himself had suggested it.

Then, as if on cue, the door to the meeting room opened and hurried sound of footsteps echoed inside. Then, a voice, strangely and unmistakably familiar, followed. “I’m so sorry, I did not mean to run late...” apologies before greetings, and Anayah almost mechanically climbed up on her feet along with the others, although her eyes were all set on the new comer. Tom’s eyes wondered about, tracing the faces inside the room, and ultimately fell in hers. He smiled in recognition, and Anayah did not want to acknowledge the flutter that she felt in her heart.

“Ben Hurr” Ben held out a hand towards the other, which he shook with both his hands.

“Tom Hiddleston” The other replied, smiling as he cordially shook his hand. Then Ben gestured a hand at her direction. She felt blood descending to her face upon his warm smile. It was just polite, official. But she couldn’t help herself; the events from that morning were running through her mind. “And this is Anayah, my assistant designer for this project”

Tom’s hand was soft and warm enclosing hers. There was a deep contrast between the colours of their skin, which really struck to her than usual. “Nice to meet you...Anayah” He said, his voice low and strangely so appealing. She really didn’t mean to notice it, but there was something different about the way her name easily rolled past his lips, as if he seemed to put more emphasis on it, on every syllable.

“Right. So now that the architect is here...” Ben’s voice echoed inside the room as all of them returned to their seats. The discussion continued. The architect admittedly not having agreed to the fish tanks; an argument ensued. As that went on, Anayah concentrated on the fish tank on her scrap pad. Or perhaps, she hadn’t concentrated at all, as she realised it wasn’t fish that later ended up in that tank she’d drawn, but something completely unexpected. She was running and rerunning that moment from that morning, the sound of his voice echoing in her mind.

 

“Nice eyes” Sarah commented as she slid into her cubicle, her coat in her hands. It was lunch time, and it was Wednesday. The three of them grabbed drinks at the Artisan every Wednesday; and it must be the events of the day taking a toll. Anayah actually craved for a beer in the middle of the day.’

“What?” She breathed, covering her scrap-pad with both her hands. She was flustered. “Can’t you, like, knock?”

“On what?” Sarah raised her brows. “Anyway, Dam won’t join for drinks today...” She allowed a heavy sigh as if the very thought was weighing her down. “He has a date”

Anayah closed her scrapbook lest Sarah made another comment on what she’d unintentionally scraped about and reached for her own coat. As it happened, her coffee in the morning had not helped her concentrate at all. She’d hardly gotten anything done, and the meeting in the morning had both dampened and made her day, for two different equally exhausting reasons.

“Good, it would be a girls’ out then” Anayah pointed out as the two of them walked down the corridor, the brilliant summer sun seeping through the glass panels in an array of white light.

“It’s soon going a ‘Sarah-Only’ out on Wednesdays, seeing that everyone’s getting _dates_ ” Sarah replied, her voice almost grim but also slightly dulled.  She’d always been sort of a wet blanket when her love life hadn’t worked out exactly as she planned. It was almost as if she was convinced that she’s the only woman in the world who had her heart broken. The one thing that apparently cheered her up in this department was Anayah’s apparent bad luck in getting a good date. But that didn’t seem to cheer her up either.

Anayah stopped on her tracks, realising where the conversation was going. Sarah stopped as well. “I’m not going on that date” She informed her.

Sarah gaped at her, perplexed. “With not-Jeff?”

“No” Anayah sighed and moved on ahead. She’d given so much of thought on his proposal for the past few hours, and occurred to her, quite clearly as day, that there was no possible way that one such arrangement could work out. For one, Not-Jeff, _Tom_ , saw her just that one time in the café. Anayah wasn’t quite sure if it was enough for a man to attract to her so quickly, quick enough to ask her out. On the other hand, it was possible they would possibly work on the same project together; conflict of interest. There was a thousand many reasons why she shouldn’t.

“He looks like a decent guy” Sarah continued as she hurriedly caught up with her strides. “Besides, its been long since that happened, Anayah. You need to get back into dating again...”

“I really am not interested” Anayah sighed and halted as they exited the building. It was quite warm outside, the street as busy as it always was. The Artisan was just a couple of blocks away and they usually travelled by feet, as would any Londoner. “Besides” She continued, staring right ahead of her. “Not-Jeff is in fact the Architect in the Bailey and Monroe Housing project”

Sarah placed a hand on her arm, her eyes widened like saucers. “Wait...Not-Jeff is an architect?”

“Apparently” Anayah shrugged.

“Wow, that’s hot”

“And we definitely did not see that in his tag back there”

The two of them fell quiet as they crossed the road to the other side, walking along the swamp of men and women going out for lunch themselves. The Artisan was usually crowded around this time of the day. But the three of them were regulars and they always had their table reserved for the Wednesdays.

“So, does it mean like you’d be working together?” Sarah went on as they fell back on their usual pace. “The architect and Interior designer of the project?”

“As it happens” she replied with a shrug. “Although I desperately want to drop out, that whole thing is bullocks”

“He’s not that great of an architect” Countered Sarah matter of factly.

Anayah considered it for a second, recalling the arguments that he’d brought up during their discussion, repeatedly insisting that he did not, by any means, approve of the Koi fish tanks, and shook her head. “No, I don’t think that’s exactly the case”

Sarah paused. “Well, then I don’t see a reason why you shouldn’t go.” She continued walking again. “I mean, he’s sweet, he’s handsome and he’s an architect...you might as well give him a chance”

The two of them arrived at the Artisan, the comforting ambiance welcoming them warmly with a whiff of booze and potpourri. It always smelled nice over there, and the patrons were generally amiable. The two of them took their coats off and headed on their way to their usual table. Anayah was starving. All of that talking had made her hungry and quite angry as well. And right now, what she really wanted was a nice hearty meal and a beer to chug it down with.

“It’s not about him, Sarah” Anayah said once they’d settled into the table. “It’s me. It’s just...it’s the last thing I want in my life right now...”

“I don’t know, Anayah” Sarah sighed heavily as she settled into her chair herself. She stared across the table at her for a moment, her green eyes calculating. Then she rested her chin on her hands. “Why do I feel like it’s not what you really feel?”

Anayah hated it, that sometimes both Sarah and Damien seemed to see right through her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about” She replied hastily and reached for her purse. “I’m going to get a drink. What do you want?”

“Just a white wine would be fine” Sarah replied; her smile frozen on her lips. As Anayah stood up and went on her way, she realised that there was indeed a sense of truth to her words. She hated to acknowledge it herself, but she was right. Anayah always hated the way she felt; the fear, the loneliness, the constantly haunting thought that perhaps she would simply end up on her own. But on the other hand, she couldn’t help herself. Anayah wasn’t like any other girl, and she gladly embraced her differences. It was the way she identified herself, the way she lived her life. And as much as she loved whom she’d become, it definitely seemed to keep the men away. Someone with more girly charms, someone dependent and docile, someone not like her. She was perhaps wrong, but with what she’d experienced, Anayah felt that most men were just incapable of loving someone like her. They wanted beauty, dependence, pleasure and comfort, a woman that they could handle in their own ways, nothing more. And unfortunately for herself, those were the kind of things that she was incapable of delivering, and she hated to be in that vulnerable position of showing another man who she was...and be expectant in return.

“White wine and a Larger, please” Anayah said to the bartender, holding out her tab. She knew it was just unhealthy to settle for beer at this time of the day. But she wanted to unwind. Life hadn’t exactly been kind to her lately.

As the bartender went off to prepare her drinks, Anayah slid onto a barstool and waited. She didn’t want to return to Sarah just yet. She hated just how vulnerable she appeared to be. Out of the three of them, Anayah had always been the stronger one; the responsible, the independent the far more collected. It wasn’t likely that she depended on either of them. It had been always her who comforted them that it just felt to odd, even involuntarily so, to be in that position.

She had pulled out her phone and was idly scrolling through her mails when she felt presence beside her. There was boisterous laughter, a bunch of men in a rather boyish exchange. Anayah waited patiently until her drinks arrived so that she could quietly slip away. But then, her plans came to a naught.

“Wait...Anayah?” A voice awfully too familiar came from her right, and she glanced up, only to find ‘Not Jeff’ standing beside her, incredibly tall that she still had to look up to meet his gaze even from her elevated chair. “Hello! I didn’t expect to see you here”

She felt her cheeks burning and hated herself for taking acute notice of the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled. “Hello...Not-Jef- I mean, Tom...” She greeted tiredly, amending herself from almost calling him their nickname. She had hoped it had passed his ears without notice, but it certainly hadn’t. She could see it in the way he laughed. “It’s quite nice...seeing you here” His voice was gentle, soothing. Although it was merely a generic conversation, it almost sounded like he was reciting poetry. “I just joined Ben, here...we made quick friends” He smiled, and gestured at her boss who was in a deep conversation with another one of her co-workers. Tom returned to gaze down at her. “And please, allow me to buy you a drink...”

“Oh, umm.... Thank you” Anayah climbed off her stool and slipped a strand of hair behind her ear. “That’s truly generous of you...but I just ordered...my drinks”

As if on cue, then, the waiter carried the tray laden with their drinks, from which she picked up the glasses as gracefully as she could.

“I’ll be on my way then” She told the other, avoiding his eyes lest she caught the sight of mild disappointment in them. “Thank you once again, for the offer. Will see you around then”

Anayah didn’t wait for Tom to greet in return lest she felt lost in his eyes yet again. His had a distinct smile, and a rather extraordinary pair of eyes, she had to admit. She felt right drawn to him, but on the other hand, Anayah couldn’t risk losing her stance. When she returned to the table, Sarah had already ordered for both of them and had been presented with a basket of bread. She was idly ripping a bread roll and stuffing it in her mouth, deep in her thoughts.

The two of them didn’t discuss Not-Jeff yet again. But rather about Sarah’s own derailed love life. Both Sarah and Anayah were in the same age, dangerously teetering around that particular period of time where things seemed to come to a standstill. Half of their friends were married, one of Sarah’s college pals had had her second baby, and here they were, the two of them eating bread rolls and chugging beer as their lives lied uncertain before them.

“Sometimes I think I would probably be one of those ladies who’d die alone in the apartment and nobody would know until it started to stink” Sarah said sombrely, a dark cloud hanging overhead. “Repeated date disasters look like a bad omen, don’t you think? We’re never going to settle”

“Problem is” Anayah took a large gulp of beer. “Are you even ready? Boyfriends, marriage, children, all of that responsibility?”

“Well, are you?” Sarah raised her brows.

“We will never be” Anayah sighed, hiding the dullness in her own voice. Those were the kind of things she hated to think about. If Damien was here, he would have diverted the conversation long before now. But now he had settled, somewhat. He and his poet boyfriend was hitting well off. It was not long before he’d bring them an announcement, and soon it would be the two of them, Sarah and Anayah, left to brood.

“So you see” Sarah continued, somehow venturing the conversation back into the unchartered territories. “This is why, Anayah, when a man approaches you, you take it”

“Oh god, we’re back at it again” Anayah rolled her eyes.

“Not just” Sarah raised her brows, and Anayah realised that her eyes were set somewhere beyond her shoulder, concentratedly focused on one particular point. “Ooh, speak of the devil...what is _he_ doing here?”

She had almost forgotten that indeed, the devil was in their very vicinity. “I met him before. Here with Ben because of the Bailey and Monroe project, he needs to chat, apparently”

“Well I would chat, if I were you. More likely in private”

Anayah tossed a piece of bread on her direction. “You’re disgusting”

Their lunch arrived, laden on a tray and piping hot. The two of them were mostly quiet as they ate, Sarah’s eyes somehow focused past her shoulder the entire time. Then and there, she’d give her commentary on what Tom was doing. _Now he’s put his arm over the backrest, that’s hot. He’s laughing, what is he laughing about?_ As much as Anayah found the commentary disturbing, she was just dying to turn and look back at him. The tension grew evident the more she was aware of him behind her. At some point, Sarah gasped, met her eyes and whispered in an urgent manner; “Is it just me or is he staring at your head?”

It was at that point that Anayah turned and looked behind her. Much to her surprise, Sarah had been right. It was almost as if he’d been waiting for her to look, that the moment their eyes met, he gave her this smallest, warmest smile that genuinely flipped something in her heart.

“You should definitely have that chat about Bailey and Monroe” Sarah was saying as Anayah turned back, struggling to return to her composure. She had to admit, for a moment she felt hypnotized.

“If I were you, I most positively would. Preferably on a table. With no clothes on”

“You’re ridiculous” Anayah sent yet another piece of bread roll on her way, which she dodged and fell on the table beside her. But in her mind, Anayah contemplated things. Just what did she have to lose, would she give him a chance?

But then she’d remember the look in his eyes. _I was not the woman that he thought I would be_. If there was anything that she’d lose, it would indeed be herself.

*


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Anayah skipped going to the coffeeshop altogether. As much as she needed her caffeine fix, she’d rather avoid the unnecessary advances. She settled for a measly office-coffee-machine cup instead. The entire night yesterday, as she lied in bed trying to sleep, she had contemplated things. The truth was, the whole date disaster thing had pretty much wearied off, only a bit of that initial hatred remaining. She wanted to live her life forgiving people, not holding grudges. Jeff did not do something that anyone could easily forgive, but she had to, only because she wanted to move on. But the problem was, she would move on from a disaster date, to what? To an eternity of a solitary life? Or a handsome blue-eyed stranger who repeatedly attempted to approach her? Its strange how both options sounded equally ideal as equally horrifying; almost a dilemma there. In the end, she settled for the former. There was no way that she could see into the future with another man, and she would never be ready for the possibilities that it would bring upon her. Solidarity, however, worked better. She had her job, her apartment, her dog and for a while, her best friends. And for now, that would be enough for her to survive; for the last thing she actually needed was a heartbreak.

Ben had sent in an email for yet another meeting about the Bailey and Monroe project. It was with a sharp stab of regret she realised that she never expressed her desire to not take part in it. She would tell him today itself, before the meeting started, and get someone else to work in her stead. Sarah would like the chance, and perhaps she and Tom could hit it off and end up having a chat on a table with no clothes on.

She grabbed her things and went to Ben’s office. It’s easier this way, talk to him before the meeting, get it done with, move to a new project. She balanced her things in one hand and knocked precisely three times on his door. He called her to come in, and she did. Then she paused by the doorway, clutching her things against her chest. There was Tom sitting inside the office, a neatly drawn Sketch spread over the table. She clocked in the way he looked up at her, his blue eyes gleaming, a smallest smile on his lips. Things did not appear to be going very well for her.

“Good morning, Anayah. I was just talking to Tom here about the housing plan before the meeting” Ben informed her, gesturing at the sketch in front of him.

“Oh, um...Ben, I’ll talk to you later.... then” Anayah told him, taking a step back, turning to leave.

“Why don’t you join us, Anayah. You’re the star of the project!” Ben exclaimed instead of letting her go. She paused, her eyes narrowed, not really used to being called anything near a compliment. She knew that Ben was rather fond of her, only because she put her heart and soul into her job. But this was particularly...unlikely.

“T-thank you...but I’d rather join...at the time of the meeting” She muttered and did the mistake of looking at Tom who had mild disappointment etched in his eyes.

“Well, that’s fine...” Ben stood up. “What was it that you wanted to see me about?”

Anayah opened her mouth and closed it again. She couldn’t possibly say it aloud, with Tom in the same room. He’d been sweet and considerate the entire time, not overstepping the boundaries, keeping to himself. She didn’t want to hurt him for something that he didn’t even do.

“Um...I....” She quickly thought of a save, clutching her things against her chest. She’d come to see him on her own accord, so she couldn’t possibly say it was nothing. She glanced down at her laptop and made up her mind. “I actually had some designs...which I thought would be fitting for this project...” She muttered and swallowed hard. “I....I thought you are ought to have a look”

“Marvellous!” Ben clapped his hands, appearing excited. “Bring them through!”

 

The worst thing was, he liked them. Perhaps, that wasn’t the very worst. The very worst was that Tom liked them too; the colour combinations and coordinates of each and every detail inside the house. It was a simple design, rather minimalistic with bright colours and classy but modest furniture. There was a couple of them that he expressed his fondness on, and Anayah realised that Tom probably had a type, seeing as to how they all seemed to be wounded around the same theme. Classy yet modest, bright yet light, elegant yet simple. That seemed to echo the sense of his ideal type.

They had the meeting, and the idea of Koi fish was finally discarded. Ben wanted Sarah to present her designs to the Bailey and Monroe representatives as Mister and Missus Bailey couldn’t be present at the meeting themselves. Anayah had done this before, countless times, and it was no gamer for her. She set things up in the projector and walked the audience through every big and little detail she’d created; from the stained-glass windows to brick walls all the way down to coloured cushions and printed carpets. The representatives appeared impressed; Ben had the brightest smile on his face. And when she did the accident of glancing over at Tom, he was gazing at her in this way that sent tingles right through her entire body. Anayah ripped her gaze off him, thanked the representatives and returned to her seat.

“We love it!” The woman, named Scarlet exclaimed with a little clap expressing excitement. Anayah guessed as much, given that she’d presented herself to a business meeting in a bright red and white printed dress and yellow strappy sandals. “Especially the iron furniture and coloured cushions...beautiful!”

“Very well!” Ben replied, a polite smile donning his lips. “Our Anayah here is an extremely talented and deeply committed designer here, and it would be her pleasure working with you”

“And I would like if I can get a prototype of the design?” Tom added in all his graveness. “Now the construction is at its final stage, so we must continue on with the interior”

“Of course,”

“And...” Tom looked over at Anayah, his eyes, brilliant blue, bearing right into hers. “It would be great if the designer herself can visit us on site...to see how the design can go forth and make changes if necessary”

“Absolutely” Said the woman and turned to Ben. “Mister Hurr?”

Ben turned to Anayah, and she felt cold sweat. “Anayah?”

Anayah looked around at the audience and briefly held tom’s gaze. Then she took in a deep breath and gave them her warmest, most enthusiastic smile. “When do we start?”

 

Anayah was collecting her things; note book, laptop and all those dangly wires, when someone rapped on the door to the conference room. Once the meeting with Bailey and Monroe was adjourned, all of them went on their way, the representatives to Ben’s office to discuss the rest of the possible logistics, Scarlet excitedly talking over the phone and both Ben and Tom engaged in their own hushed conversations. Anayah was waiting for them to leave so that she could celebrate her success in her own solitary comfort. Once they’d disappeared, however, Anayah couldn’t feel much of that expected spirit of accomplishment. She just felt drained. She was supposed to leave this project, stop feeling both attacked and intimidated, somewhat expectant in Tom’s presence, run away just as she’d always done. But instead, she’d gone ahead and impressed everyone. There was no going back now.

So when a knock sounded on the door, believing that somebody had previously booked it in, She hurriedly gathered her things in one hand and headed to the door. She was surprised to find it slightly ajar; even more so to see a pair of familiar blue eyes peering at her through the parting of the door.

“Hi” Anayah blinked, taking a step back, surprised. She had thought the two of them had gone out already.

“Hello...umm, Anayah...” Tom addressed her as he pushed open the door. Then he paused. “May I come in?”

 “Y-yes?” She stuttered in response, and Tom stepped into the room before he closed the door behind him. Anayah, taken by the close proximity between them, took two strides back, leaving a sizable distance between each other. What she failed to notice, however, was the way Tom’s face changed by this simple gesture.

“Would you have a minute? I was wondering if I can talk to you” He said, epitome of politeness.

“O-of course...”

Tom gave her a smile, and awkwardly looked down at his feet. “Well, I just wanted to say, I am sorry”

Anayah blinked. “Huh? I mean...pardon?”

A small chuckle escaped his lips in response to her surprise. “I am sorry. I realised that I’ve been  rather too audacious and I am deeply ashamed by it...I am sorry if I made you uncomfortable...to be around me”

She knew it. She knew it when he had looked at her as if all hopes were gone. Anayah opened her mouth to respond, but what could she say? That he shouldn’t feel ashamed? That it was just her?

“It was only that...” He sighed and lifted his gaze into hers. Anayah could swear the way he looked at her threaded a little on her heartstrings. “You’re an intriguing woman, Anayah. You’re so different...and I suppose that just...” he smiled. “Captivated me”

“Oh” She felt blood descending to her face. Nobody has ever told her anything like that. Intriguing. Captivating...whoever even talked like that? It was almost as if he was reciting out from a book of poetry.

“Regardless, if my... _attention_ makes you uncomfortable, I won’t pursue you any further. I understand that our paths, yours and mine are different, and I don’t want you to feel discomforted in my presence” He paused for a moment, gazing down and his fingers fidgeting. Perhaps, it took him so much more courage than she’d imagined for doing this; and for that, she’d forgive him. Not that she hadn’t already forgiven...

There was nothing to forgive him for, if she was to be honest. She liked what he made her feel. Special and perhaps, important; a little loved. It was only that, she was afraid of what _he_ would ultimately feel about her.

“Besides, we’re working together now, and I don’t want our emotions to come between us. So... I’m sorry, I hope you forgive me for how thoughtless I have been”

If anything, Anayah was too mystified to even respond. She had never met anyone who talked the way he did. So eloquent and strangely so graceful. Hadn’t she known what he was doing for a living, she would have mistaken him for a writer or a poet. And that look in his eyes, warm and concerned, apologetic and a tinge of hope floating through. As the sun coming from the large window panes reflected in his eyes, they appeared a little green, more silvery; breathtaking. For a moment, Anayah had forgotten how to respond.

“Anayah?” His voice slipped into her thoughts, and she came to, blinking at him.

“Oh umm,” She cleared her throat. “I-I... forgive you” She wanted to add that he never did anything wrong; but she supposed she’d let him know the truth another time.

Tom, in response gave her his warmest smile. She’d never met a man who’d smile like this. She wondered what Sarah would have said had she seen him. Gorgeous. She’d call him gorgeous. And she’d call her an idiot for making him feel the way he’d felt.

“Well then” He held out a hand for a handshake. “Partners?”

Anayah shifted all of her things onto the table beside her. She didn’t want to be partners. That just didn’t sound right, to go from possible dates to partners. She smiled at him and allowed her hand to warmly enclose his own.

“Friends” She amended him, and a slight rush of pleasure passed through her as he widened his eyes in surprise. He laughed, then paused, and nodded his head. “But of course. Friends”


	4. Chapter 4

Bailey and Monroe first started off with their project of loft styled apartments somewhere in Hampstead where the houses sold off the most. The company managed to make their name with the first project itself, as the simplistic design of the houses, along with the entire concept of ‘Loft-styled-living’ seemed to appeal to the more generic crowd. Once the first set of houses sold off, Bailey and Monroe Housing moved onto bigger and better things. From Hampstead to Fulham and then later to Kensington with what could be there biggest plan so far, Bailey and Monroe kept little steps forward until it soon became one of the most sought-after icons in the real estate industry.

Everybody knew who the Baileys were; the couple was pretty much the name and the face of the company, while ‘Monroe’ simply remained a mystery. Initially, it was speculated that perhaps Monroe was Missus Bailey’s maiden name, all until it was revealed that this particular Monroe was an American whereas Missus Saoirse Bailey née O’Hara was in fact native Irish.  For a long time, that particular ‘Monroe’ remained unknown among all those involved in the housing and real estate industry, until that one time in the launch of their Kensington project, the secretive Monroe finally showed themselves in all their elegance and glory. The word was that the one behind the Loft style concept and the success of Bailey and Monroe was never really the Bailey couple itself, but the secretive Monroe, who never took the credit, and disappeared yet again.

Anayah had never worked with them before, although they did hire their firm in their previous project in Fulham. They were now working on the one in Belsize Park, relatively smaller to those in Kensington and Fulham, yet in high demand. She wouldn’t say that she was particularly excited with working on this. The truth was, when she first heard that she’d been given the task of handling the latest Bailey and Monroe project, she’d been over the moon. It was just one of the many construction companies related to London city housing that had made a prominent name in that field, and it would have a been a great honour for herself to be a part of it. But then she met the Baileys, sat in meeting rooms countless times (Twice. Just twice) listening to them talking what sounded to her more like gibberish, doodling on her scrap pad than actually taking notes, and she just grew tired of it. They simply didn’t sound like the people behind such a successful real-estate project. They almost sounded a little amateur, as if they haven’t lived in the field at all. It sort of proved, she realised. Its most probably that ‘Monroe’ who kept the business up and running. She wanted to pull out, she still did. But the architect in charge of the project, after having been in charge of the one in both Fulham and Kensington, was slowly beginning to change her mind.

Tom seemed to have so much of profound knowledge in everything. She learned this fact as the two of them travelled through west London to Belsize Park to finally visit the construction site. He drove a battered old Peugeot, claiming that it was his older sister’s which he never had the heart to give away after she left for India for her job, and also revealed that he lived in Belsize park himself. He drove slowly, elegantly, in deep concentration to every movement; like a dance. Through that, he still spoke to her in this deep, quiet, captivating way. Anayah would never admit this out to anyone, but she could and also would sit down and listen to speak everyday. Their discussions varied in topics; from jobs to designs to a slightest touch of personal details and mainly about the project in hand. He revealed to her the current developments in the housing scheme, how far they’ve progressed, what more was to come. As it happens, they’ve decided to try out a theme for this set of houses. The Baileys wanted them to be Eco friendly, which did sound like quite a concept. But Tom believed that there was minimal success rate as the whole idea of ‘Eco friendliness’ did not carry the same appeal that ‘Vintage’ or ‘Minimalism’ did. So, for now, things were pretty much in a standstill, except for the basic construction. It was up to Tom and the interior designer (Herself) as well as Monroe who’s worded to return to the arena soon, to decide what the future of the Belsize houses was going to be.

Their conversation halted, temporarily, as they finally arrived at the construction site. It was in a rather quiet and peaceful area in the town, and all the noises coming from the site itself seemed to disturb its tranquillity. Tom parked the car somewhere away from the site and turned to Anayah with a smile. “Here we are”

“Here we are!” Anayah repeated in a sing-song voice, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible, although she wasn’t certain what she felt anymore. She was greeted by a gush of warm summer wind upon climbing out of the car. Tom came around towards her, and keeping a proximity, not too close and not too far, he led her towards the site. She tried her best not to breath in his sweet musky scent, which had kept her dizzying throughout the entire car ride.

“The scheme includes three blocks, three buildings that is; consisting of three apartments each” Tom explained as they hurried along the gravely sidewalk to the dusty, loud, construction site. “They would be of the same design, pretty much...except for perhaps, small subtle differences?” He smiled, and they paused by an iron container house which she assumed was sort of the office during the time of the construction. He knocked on the door, a bold man with frown in his brows stuck his head out. Anayah noticed a stain of coffee on his sleeve as he opened the door. “Ah, Hiddleston. We were expecting you” He said.

“How is it going, Gabe?” Tom responded, stepping in. Anayah cautiously followed after. The inside was air conditioned, smelled quite good, and there were two plastic chairs in a corner where Tom settled in.

“Going good. Only that things are going slower with the weather and all” Gabe leaned against his small bureau and studied the new comer with inquisitive eyes. “So I see you’ve brought in a lady”

“Oh, yes...sorry, my bad” Tom climbed up on his feet and gestured at Anayah, a firm hand hovering behind her. “This is Anayah. She’s from Blanc et Noir Interiors and designer in charge”

A valid description of her title. Anayah smiled brightly at the other.

“And Anayah, Gabe. He’s the head of construction. Pretty much all of this is in his charge now” Tom explained.

“Not all of it” Gabe replied good heartedly. “Tom created it, we built it. He leads the team”

Tom chuckled. “He’s just being modest”

Gabe raised his brows. “Only telling the truth”

Anayah just watched the friendly banter, not a sound from her part, and once both fell into a mutual moment of silence, Tom gestured at her and gave her a smile, a hand held out in her direction. “Let me give you a tour of the site”

“That would be great” Anayah replied, accepting his offer.

“Don’t forget the helmets!” Called Gabe as they left the container.

Tom brought her to a counter where everyone who was entering the site geared themselves with the safety cautions. He picked up two yellow helmets, luminous jackets and facemasks. “Very dusty and risky up there” He said, smiling and reached out to her. He fastened the helmet on top of her head, easily reaching her height given that she was just a tiny minion beside him. Anayah tried, really, not to feel intimidated. But she found herself staring up at him, all until he moved away. “Mask” He handed one over, and then the jacket. Once both were all set and ready to go, Tom led her inside.

True to his words, the construction was pretty much in a standstill. The building was completely bare, just walls and wide openings with a more than twelve feet fall downwards. As he led her through, he explained the details about each floor.

“Baileys wanted to name each house after flowers. Lilly, Petunia, Rose...but I don’t suppose it’s a proposal that would actually sit with the design team” He sighed, his eyes narrowed against the heavy sun. He was not wearing the mask, despite the dust wafting around, and it was making her feel uncomfortable.

“So what would happen now?” Anayah asked, her voice muffled behind the mask.

“I suppose things would start moving only when Elizabeth gets back” He vaguely replied.

Anayah paused. “Who’s Elizabeth?”

“Elizabeth Monroe” Tom glanced at her. “I thought you knew”

She blinked in response. “I thought Monroe was a man”

He chuckled. “No, only the master mind of the project” He said as they stopped in front of what could be a large window, only that it was completely bare, with a few feet of a fall to the ground. He buried his hands in his pockets and went quiet, contemplative.

“Right” Anayah stood beside him. “So, I’ve heard that Monroe....she is very secretive”

“Oh, she is” He replied, almost dismissively, gazing across the vast city below them. It could have been only her, but she felt as if something had shifted in him upon the mention of her. Strange, given that he was the one who brought her up the first place, and now was hesitant to reveal anymore than he already have.

A moment of quietness as both stared over the large window. Then Tom raised his hand and pointed somewhere to the right of the town. “It’s my house, right over there”

Anayah squinted against the warm summer sun. She couldn’t see much, except for a glimmering glass roof. “Is that a glass roof?” She asked for clarification.

“Yes” He nodded. “In fact, most parts of the house is glass. It’s the concept” He smiled modestly and glanced down at her. “I designed it”

Anayah gazed at the glass roof reflecting the sun in an incessant shine, almost dazedly. Tom had designed his own house. Would she reveal this information to Sarah, she would start planning there wedding then and there. “It’s...beautiful”

“It was a lot of hard work” Tom sighed. “Took years of my life to build that thing”

There was a tinge of monotone in his voice, as if he was recalling a painful memory. “The house...” She started, trying not to sound too prying. “Is it...special?”

Tom smiled, albeit quite sadly. “I guess you could say that” He finally turned away. “If it comes down to it, I’ll take you there one day”

Anayah wanted to believe him, because she would have loved to. But the tone of his voice seemed to imply otherwise, as if it was a secret that he wanted to tuck away forever.

“Come along” He gestured at her to move on. “Let me take you to the next block”

 

The next block of houses was identical and completely bare, only that while the first one had railings on the staircase, the second actually didn’t. It was relatively less dustier, she felt; and when she shared this observation with him, he revealed that they stopped the construction on the second and the third blocks and was currently working slowly on the first until _she_ returned. She, Anayah figured, referred to Elizabeth Monroe, the secretive woman that Tom himself seemed to not want to talk much about. The two of them were quiet as they walked through the empty building, the sound of their footsteps echoing inside. As they did, Anayah allowed her designer headspace to take over her. She analysed the place, imagined what fitted the most; the windows, the doors, where the furniture would have gone, if the walls would look better had they the red brick design that she’d imagined. It excited her, the idea of having a piece of her mind attached to a place that one day would be somebody’s home. A part of her soul would forever be ingrained on the corners of the walls, in the gravelly edges and smoothened slopes like beacons, and people would live their lives, not knowing that once, everything in their house had meant the world to someone.

“Feeling inspired?” Tom’s deep voice floated into her mind like a distant whisper, and she found him standing beside her, his own eyes dazed, still in his thoughts.

“Quite, yes” Anayah admitted. And she thought of it for a while and smiled. “Its strange, isn’t it...we’re here designing and creating the place which would be somebody’s home”

Tom was quiet for a while, thinking, and he hummed. “You could say that, yes”

“It would be the world for them” Anayah continued, her mind still pretty much in a haze. She imagined little children running across these floors, lonely young women gazing out at the horizon as the sun set, moisture in their eyes. How many men would there be, leaning against these glass walls, drinks in their hands, contemplating the uncertainties of life? How many couples would there be, wrapped up in covers, making love, oblivious to the world outside as the dusk became dawn? Here, they were creating homes, not only for people but for hopes and dreams and memories, for happiness and laughter, for lives that they would never get to know.

She didn’t realise, until the end, that she had actually shared all of these, her innermost thoughts out loud. She’d done this more often, her own little monologues, thinking out loud in the most unsuspecting moments. Sarah and Damien were used to it, and had always been a part of their conversations, her unintended spotlight. For Tom, however, who was experiencing this for the first time, it was different. He just stared at her, wordless, his eyes unreadable. There was something about the way that he seemed to see her as if he was tracing an image of her, of that moment of them standing in the dust, listening to her speak of lives they’d never know, right into his mind.

“Oh...I said that out loud, didn’t I” Anayah muttered, turning away, her gaze fixing on her feet. And unconsciously so, she tucked a dark strand of hair behind her ear.

“I like the way you think” Tom commented after a while. “Homes, lives, people...I suppose I hadn’t really given much thought on that...”

“Whatever we build, whatever we design, it’s going to be a part of their lives” Anayah added, liking her analogy too much herself. Designing a house for a complete stranger suddenly felt a weirdly intimate affair. She was sharing a fragment of her heart with another. And they were about to live their entire life with that tiny fragment protecting and comforting them.

Tom smiled. “A beautiful way of putting it...a home. That’s rather intimate, isn’t it?” He actually looked around himself, his inquisitive eyes tracing the bare walls, the sun coming in through the open windows, the brilliant blueness of the sky. Then he chuckled. “Well I sure do hope they would take care of that part of my soul”

“You should leave behind only the best. It would grow back” Anayah laughed.

“I will” He smiled softly. “I do”

The building which was empty for a while slowly began to fill up with workers returning from their lunch break, and Tom decided it was there time to head back down. “The third block is pretty much the same” he said as they made their way towards the stairwell. “The tour was enough for inspiration, I suppose?”

“It was sufficient. Yes,” Anayah smiled, looking up at him. “In fact, I’d-,” The two of them had reached the staircase, two storeys up. And it didn’t occur to her that there were no railings. Still in that dazedness from the previous conversation, Anayah mindlessly took the steps downwards, all until her foot tripped, a heel of her shoes snapped, and suddenly she started to fall to her side.

“Anayah, Careful!” Tom exclaimed, and it all happened so fast. Anayah had lost her balance somehow, yet she barely missed a fall three floors down which could have possibly cost her life. Tom had acted quick, reaching out to her and throwing an arm around her waist. He’d pulled her back, the impact so hard that they both fell against the wall on the other side of the stairs, Anayah literally in his arms. And then, everything fell quiet. The world had stopped moving around her, and for that moment, she was so acutely aware of him than ever before. Her heart thudded so fast, adrenaline rushing through. It took her a moment to realise that she’d barely missed an accident which could have possibly taken her life; or even worse, had anything gone wrong, would have dragged him along with her.

She had her eyes closed for the longest time; the initial shock of the impact still not worn off. Her head was ringing, her breath uneven. And beneath her she could feel his rapid heartbeat beneath her palm along with his heavy breathing. She tried to regain her composure, but it was impossible. She had barely missed losing herself, and it was Tom who saved her. Almost unconsciously, she took a deep, shaky breath and leaned her head against his shoulder. She breathed in his sweet citrusy scent and waited for her rapid heartbeat to decrease.

“Are you alright?” Tom spoke quietly, almost a whisper, and she felt his voice reverberating in his chest. She nodded, her eyes still closed, still in his embrace. His hand ran up her back, then down in a soothing gesture. “It’s okay, it’s fine, I’ve got you”

Anayah slowly but finally willed herself to open her eyes, and she lifted her gaze, only to find Tom in a close proximity than ever before. She could see everything that made him, him. His lips pressed together, his eyes, wide and ever so breathtakingly blue, gazing right into her soul. For that moment, Anayah basked in their proximity, in the simplest pleasure of being in a beautiful man’s embrace. She supposed that he noticed it too, that she was gazing at him, almost mesmerized, that he gazed back and gave her the smallest disarming smile.

“You have very pretty eyes” Tom said, all of a sudden, that smile never leaving his lips.

“Huh?”

“I would have stared at you all day long, darling, but people are watching”

It was only then that Anayah came to, slowly pulling herself away. Tom let her go, and she sat down on the dusty stairs until Tom climbed up on his feet. True to his words, yes, the workers were watching them, their eyes inquisitive at the unusual exchange. Tom, instead of helping her up, crouched down on the steps beside her.

“You have a nasty scratch, right there” He pointed at her ankle where there was a small abrasion, bleeding. And her shoe was ruined, the heel hanging off. He lifted his head and smiled apologetically.

“And don’t suppose you can walk in those shoes, do you?”

Anayah shook her head, almost in a haze.

“Right. Let me” He said, and carefully unbuckled her sandals. And then, with great might, he slammed the shoe on the steps, sending the dust flying at the impact, and broke the heels of both of them. Then he laughed as if the simple act of destruction gave him a great sense of accomplishment.

“There” He presented her the newly furnished pair of sandals. “Good as new”


End file.
